NMC To Tap Conservancy Lanes To Boost Revenue

Nagpur: Conservancy lanes (safai gallis) located within Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) layouts are emerging as a potential source of civic revenue, with the administration pushing proposals to allot these spaces on permanent lease to generate income.Municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar, while presenting the civic body's Budget, highlighted that several such lanes within municipal layouts and across the city's jurisdiction are being considered for allotment on long-term lease after necessary approvals. The move is based on the NMC's earlier resolutions and Maharashtra govt's decision dated March 26, 2015, which allows the civic body to regularise and lease out conservancy lane spaces with the commissioner's approval.Officials said the move aims to convert underutilised or encroached conservancy lane areas into a regulated revenue stream. Once approved, the proposals enable the civic body to grant permanent lease rights to occupants after collecting prescribed charges, thereby boosting municipal income while bringing these spaces under formal records.The NMC's estate department currently manages 22 municipal layouts comprising 3,822 plots, besides a wide range of civic properties including schools, community halls, playgrounds, markets and public utilities. Authorities believe that regularising conservancy lanes and similar spaces will help the corporation monetise its assets while also resolving long-pending land use and ownership issues within several colonies.Civic officials said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen NMC's finances by tapping non-tax revenue sources identified in the latest municipal Budget.